Product description

Richard III is a paradox - the most hated of English kings, yet the most beloved, a deeply pious man, yet materialistic to the point of obsession, puritan, yet the father of at least two illegitimate children. This new biography concentrates on the much neglected early part of Richard's life - from his birth in 1452 as a cadet of the House of York to his marriage to the beautiful Anne Neville - and shows how his experiences as the son of an ambitious duke, a prisoner of war, an exile, his knightly training and awe of his elder brother, King Edward IV, shaped the character of England's most controversial monarch. From the insignificant younger brother of a would-be king to Knight of the Garter, duke, respected soldier and loyal supporter to Edward IV, Richard faced extreme danger and heady triumph, poverty and abundance, neglect and acclamation as the House of York rose to the heights of power and propelled him a glorious career at Court.

Author information

Josephine Wilkinson received a First from the University of Newcastle where she also took her PhD. She has received British Academy funding for her research into Richard III's early life and is currently and scholar-in-residence at St Deiniol's Library, Britain's only residential library founded by the great Victorian statesman, William Gladstone. Richard III, The Young King To Be is the first volume of what will be a two volume biography of Richard III, the second volume will be published in 2010. She lives in York.